


Baby Steps (And Leaps of Fate)

by Leftbrain



Series: Up Shit's Creek Without A Paddle [1]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Banter, Coffee Shop, College, F/M, How Do I Tag, I think its alright lets hope for the best, Police Officer Shiro (Voltron), you'll see - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-10
Updated: 2018-07-10
Packaged: 2019-06-08 04:56:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,561
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15235830
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Leftbrain/pseuds/Leftbrain
Summary: Shiro is lonely college student finishing up his studies and a former police officer. After dealing with how to move on in life after the death of his partner in the line of duty, he struggles with how to look at the world in a more positive light.His only sanctuary? A table in the corner of the loft in a small coffee shop. Everyone knows its his due to how often he goes into that shop.Yet theres a certain someone occupying his spot.His. Spot.That's Just what he needed, isn't it?(a one shot that might turn into being a part of a series. who knows? ;P)





	Baby Steps (And Leaps of Fate)

The night was dark. Of course it was dark, it was the night! The sun disappeared at night! That was how the world worked didn’t it? Day and then night. The hustle and bustle of the day soon silenced by the calm, eerie cry of nighttime. Time creeped on for ages on end. After all, the world would always press on far after humanity had ripped itself from the earth through a series of wars, mistakes, or even intergalactic travel. Even if mother nature was abandoned, released back to its natural state, the world would go on. Hell, that was the point wasn’t it? Humans weren’t the center of the world and they never would be for long. They were simply the dinosaurs that had gotten their spotlight for a few billion years and were snuffed out with one simple vent, simply a giant rock flying through space. 

It was only a matter of time before Shiro’s life was snuffed out similar to a candle blown out in the daytime. He always suspected would go quietly, he even expected it to happen at that point. He had been through the grit of life, seen things that he shouldn’t have seen, and frankly? He had enough. So here he was, sitting on a cold hard bench at a train-station in who knows where, watching the trains whistle past, a brush of death so quick it nearly made his head spin. He could step out towards a stopped train, take it to a new place, a new life. But he didn’t. He had the chance for that once and it ended up being lost to wind as spoken words were ripped from his lips and thrown into the tornado of life, swirled into incoherence before they dissolved into nothingness. And yet, he was only twenty five.

The cold hard metal of a flask pressed against his ribs and Shiro yanked it out from his inside coat pocket, taking a long swig of the liquid fire before he tucked it back away again. What was the point anymore? He was lost to world, no hope, no will, just existing. But he simply did not have the ability to change his dull, stagnant life now, whether it was towards a renewed life or the quiet disappearance into somewhere unknown.

That was, until he spotted her. 

‘Her’ was a petite girl who had hair that shone like silk. To him, it looked like the moon had been plucked from the starry night sky and had been finely picked apart with the most delicate of hands, strand by hand. She had the most piercing eyes, a dark blue that represented the color of the night as it was burned away into daylight as the sun rose over the horizon of mountain that he could see from his simple, payed for apartment each morning. She was just boarding a train and disappeared with a flash as the doors shut and the train raced off. 

She had caught his eye, really, that was all. And it wasn’t like he was infatuated with her, of course he wasn’t, he wasn't one of ‘those’ people. He didn’t believe in love at first sight. He didn’t really believe in love at all, consider that the product of many years of being torn apart and betrayed by women over the years. Consider it the product of him being apart of a divorced military family and bouncing back and forth great differences across the country, sometimes the world. 

Shiro didn’t even know the girl’s name, and that was alright. She was simply someone who would catch his eye around town, that damn stunning hair shining like a beacon in a crowded street. She went to the same college that he went to and he even figured that he might’ve had one single class with her. But she was in a league far out of his own. Besides, he couldn’t love. Not after what he’s seen. 

Guess that happens when your emotions get tossed into a blender when you see your partner get killed in the line of duty as police officer. Guess that happens when you could’ve stopped it from happening when you could’ve stepped three feet to the left but were instead too frozen in shock to react. 

Enough of that. 

He was sinking back down into his head again, that wretched, deserted space that rarely held anything of wit and value these days. But he pushed on, he went to his classes, did his homework in the dead of night, and despite him quitting his job at the station he would occasionally run himself ragged at the local planet fitness. 

Right now on a fine Tuesday night, he was currently inhabiting his local coffee shop, one that was small, yet had a second floor with a loft where a few quiet tables were set up, the perfect haven for peace and quiet even one were not to study. 

Except the spot that he usually sat at, the one with the single chair and table with the tree carved into wood, was occupied. Now by no means was Shiro obligated to this spot, but he occupied the small dim corner so often it had basically become his haven. His spot. But now that usually clean, serene spot was cluttered with so many text books and a MacBook rooted firmly in one spot that it was nearly impossible to see the offender, but not completely so/

There it was, that glint of hair again, hidden underneath a beanie and big glasses as its owner clicked away and highlighted passages, comfortably color coding everything with very specific highlighters— Was that a bullet journal? Who has the actual time and effort for a bullet journal?! And it was just like that, he had gained a new bid bit of knowledge about his classmate, that she had either way too much time on her hands or much too little. 

And she was still in his spot. 

Shiro grumbled under his breath as he sat down at the table one table away from his spot, the one closest to his little habitat without having to interfere with the personal bubble of this overachiever. It was like chess, he was going to stay one space away from the opposing king, who was currently occupying his table. Yes, he kew that she was girl and would be a queen technically but the vibe she gave off was simultaneously soft yet she could probably destroy him if she wanted to. She was positively royal in intimidation. 

He scowled as he sipped his plain coffee that tasted of something oddly hazelnut esq, hmph. He should be in his spot, enjoying his afternoon. But no, this girl who plagued his everyday life by popping up everywhere unexpected just had to steal his spot. His one spot of serenity in his dull life. 

Yep, that was bitterness he tasted. Pure bitterness that soured his taste buds and made his stomach rumble with a mild hatred for many things in the world like politics and too strong smelling muscle balm. 

Okay so maybe, just maybe, he might’ve somehow been possessed by an old man in the last few years of his life. Just maybe, because when that incessant sound started, a pen clicking repeatedly from the corner of the loft. His spot, mind you, the one with the girl, he wanted to scream. It was as though a mosquito that had suddenly been biting at his ear had turned into a wildfire. 

Finally, after thirty minutes of that clicking wearing away his willpower, he cracked. Shiro threw on a fake polite smile, quietly gripping his coffee tight so he would shake with anger, leaned over and rapped his knuckles on the hard wood of the table, sure to snap the girl that had her head in a text book currently out of her clicking. He cleared his throat, “Hello, I’m Shiro and I was wondering if—“ His words were abruptly cut off by the girl’s smooth, sharp words. She hadn’t even looked up from her work as she snapped at him. 

“I’m not interested, sorry.” 

What?! When the hell had he mentioned anything about being interested? He tried again, the clicking noises seeming to haunt him as he leaned over again to get her attention again. But before he could even get his words out this time, she had swiftly beat him to speaking again. 

“I said, I’m not interested.” She had commented bluntly, fixating him with a glare that seemed to freeze him in place and make his tired, worn out face flush. 

“I wasn’t going to—“ He started, but yet again he was cut off and he retracted back to his seat at his own table. 

“Mhmm, sure you weren’t, that's what they all say when they get embarrassed that I beat them to getting rejected.” 

Her words. They had this… cockiness to them. Absolute ego. What a—

And yet, the clicking noise still continued for ages more, this time it seemed to get louder just to make him angry. 

She was doing it on purpose. To drive him mad. She secretly liked the attention he got from the grumpy guy that sat not too far away from her. Allura had been watching him too, believe it or not, and even if this revealed that his attitude was foul to her, he did seem kind of cute despite the gaunt look he had going on along with the twitching eyelid that seemed to flutter and tick between each time she clicked her pen absentmindedly. 

It was true, if he filled out a bit he would definitely be snatching up ladies left and right… But now it was time for her to push him until he snapped, so on and on the pen clicked. 

Click.

Click.

Click.

Click. Click. Click. Click. 

Over and over. 

Over. 

And. 

Over. 

Shiro tried to block it out, he really did, but it was just one of those sounds that could put him in the worst of moods. He slammed in his palm down on his table, making a loud bang as he whipped his head towards her like a viper ready to strike, words spitting out of his mouth like venom.

“Can you NOT click that pen for christ’s sake?!” He blurted out, watching as she slowly looked up from her spot at his table, regarding him with a calm, collected expression as she tapped the sparkly pen against her chin. 

“Hmmm… Let me see… No.” She replied, staring at him point blank in the face, analyzing his every micro-expression as she saw how her words take effect. She noted how his frown deepened and that scar on his nose crinkled slightly. Aww, he was agitated. How cute. 

Shiro had had enough of this stupidly annoying girl that he had originally admired. See, he was right. People weren’t what they seem and they just sucked in general. He started to gather his things into his well worn bag and was just about to take off to some other quiet place when he heard tittering laughs behind him, prompting him to turn around. 

It was Allura, he had finally caught her name written on the outside of one her folders that he she had sticking out of her bag. But here she was, laughing at him, hand covering her mouth while the other propped her head up on elbows. 

“Oh come on, are you really going to leave because a girl clicked her pen too many times?” She asked him, suddenly playful with him as though she was tugging him along with a string. 

The look he gave her was one of complete bewilderment, he was taken aback by the sudden switch in demeanor. One moment she didn’t give him the time of day and the other she was actually acknowledging he existed. It was a change that's for sure. 

“Yes actually, it can be quite annoying, especially when I tried to politely ask—“

“Oh shush, I was just messing.” She bantered with him, dangling a line of bait for him to take. 

And oh boy did he take it. He fell for it, hook, line and sinker. 

“Well maybe you shouldn’t mess with strangers!” 

“I wouldn’t call you a stranger considering you’re in one of my classes.”

“We haven't talked before, therefore we are strangers.”

“Well we talked now, didn’t we? Hello newly acquainted.’ She chirped, sarcastically cheerful. It was absolutely infuriating. 

“I hope your pen runs out of ink…” He mumbled under his breath at her, and as if she had incredible hearing, she heard it all.

“And I hope that I can beat you to your spot tomorrow. Its quite nice if I say so myself.” She snickered at him, a mischievous glint in her eyes. 

Shiro got the message loud and clear. A challenge. Alright… Lets see, if his body and brain could cooperate long enough for him to get out of the apartment he might just be able to beat her to his spot. 

Maybe. 

He looked outside, the sun setting over the city as it slowly became quieter. And for once, a small smirk appeared on his face. Two could play at her game. 

He rummaged through his bag looking for a sharpie and when he found one, he uncapped it and grabbed a clean napkin, writing his name and number on it and handing it to Allura. 

“Here—For if I do beat you to my spot and you need to find a new one. I think I can recommend the seat not too far away from this one.” He murmured as he stuck the sharpie back in his bag.  
“Or if you just need the homework for that class. Or something.”

She looked up at him with those piercing eyes and flashed him a brilliant grin.  
“Or something.” She responded cheekily and flashed him a wink before she too packed up her bag to the brim. They both walked out of the coffee shop at the same time as it was closing, but went their separate ways on the street. 

Later though, when Shiro was up late in the middle of the night with the moonlight seeping in through his window, his phone buzzed. Huh. That was rare… He checked it, it was from an unknown number but it had the same area code as him so it had to be local. 

[I’m so going to beat you to that spot tomorrow.] 

Ah, so it was Allura. He quickly added her contact and sent back a text. 

[Sure you will, and pigs will fly.]

Not long after that his phone dinged again, 

[idk, man. The physics majors are working pretty hard] 

Oh nice one… That made him laugh! It dawned on him that he hadn’t laughed in a long time. Maybe he was getting better? Who knows. It would take him a long time to recover from what happened to him, hell, he was going to go through hell trying to figure out how to even get used to social interaction again, bit he was going to try this time. His problems weren't going to be fixed by one person, but he could learn how to cope better because of that person. 

Baby steps. 

First step? Throw out the fucking flask.

**Author's Note:**

> Hey everyone! Here is a little thing that I whipped up today! it was a bit of a vent at first but then I went and had some fun with it near the end! I hope you enjoyed it and comment what you think! should I turn this into a series of small adventures with these two and involve the healing process with Shiro? Let me know! -LeftBrain


End file.
